Taking Chances
by A.G. Ryle
Summary: A canon one-shot wherein Shikamaru, as the newly elected hokage, welcomed the infamous clan Konoha had been taking care of - keeping their existence hidden because of their bloodline's origin and astonishing dojutsu. But looks like it's not the only thing that he welcomed. OCxShikamaru, and miniscule OCxSasuke scenes. Setting's five years after the war. Rated K –T to be sure.


**-TAKING CHANCES-**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto. I only own the plot of this story and the non-naruto characters.**

**A/N: **Hey there, folks! I happened to have a dream similar to this story I wrote last night with me and my friends being in the OC's position. This story was supposed to be based on my dream but since I can't remember almost all the details in my dream, just the main things like the dojutsu, and the dojutsu… But I do know that somewhere in my dream, Shikamaru sparred with one of the OC, and Sasuke dated the same OC, just can't remember the details of it but I remember it happened. So I altered almost all the parts except for the dojutsu because for some reason it's the only thing I could remember clearly I my dream and yeah… Long story short, this story is more than a half fiction and less than a half based on my dream. And this is the first time I wrote a story with an OC as my main character, wooo! Writing achievement!

**PS. **I shall edit this soon… I don't really know why I wanted to post this without editing it a little… Well I did spell-checked it since I'm prone in making typos effortlessly, but am not sure with the tenses and all so yeah… I'll fix the errors soon. Maybe few days from now or tomorrow. Oh, or maybe I'm excited to post this since one of the OC's characterized by **minashito **in my dream and I did told that author I'd surprise him/her/it by posting it here... Happy reading, mates! :D

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"Your clan were missed during the war. But like what you've said to the previous hokage, keeping your clan's existence low would cause less commotion in the war, Kotaku Ayumu-san. But I must say, your clan's bloodline limit would have helped us win in the war." Shikamaru, the current hokage, remarked as he happily welcomed the literally infamous clan Konoha has been protecting since the third's rule. It's not that he wanted to greet them the moment their feet stepped on Konoha's territory, nor does he disliked it. But yes, he would have preferred watching the clouds and day dreaming than welcoming one of the strongest clans in Konoha. A mini reunion had been a clan tradition, since the Kotaru Clan had always been close to the Sarutobi Clan. They were even closer to them than the Uchiha Clan where their blood originated. But since the head of the Sarutobi clan's currently with the sarcastically infamous surprise ninja; and since he is the current hokage of the village, he, without any other choices at hand, is the only person who could welcome them.

"And cause another war? We, the shinobi of Konoha, know how the other countries seeks for the legendary myth of the _blue eyes_ which is well known as the _Hekigan_. If they would find out that that myth does exist, it might cause a ruckus. I don't want my family to be surrounded by snakes." the clan head replied with a smile.

He had loved the Hotaku people. The Nara Clan had been neighbors with theirs ever since the two clans arrived in konoha, and both clans have a special connection with the Sarutobi. And even though he had to go out of his office and skip his afternoon cloud watching, meeting them would also mean meeting his long-time friend and enemy, the youngest daughter of the clan head, Kasumi, who seems to be riding in her golden tiger. He could still remember teasing her how tiny her golden cub is and how it would never grow like her father's white tiger. Kasumi would always defend her lazy-yet-obedient cub and would challenge him in the game of shougi, wherein he would always win.

"My, my, you've grown into a man similar to your father!" the clan head's wife, Mei, commented before receiving a sigh from her beloved husband sitting behind her, one reason why she hated riding a tiger with him – he would always make those annoying sighs, or rub his temple why sighing, or slapping his forehead while grunting (and it is, by far, the most annoying among the others).

Shikamaru laughed nervously in reply as each clan member hopped down their respective tigers. He soon led them to his office where things got more nervously funny when their conversation led to the happenings during the war.

"So how's Yoshina? I hope she's doing well." The clan head, Ayumu, thoughtfully asked.

"Mother's doing great. I wasn't expecting her to recover before me. Nevertheless she's alright."

"That's good to hear. Though, I would miss drinking with your father – it's the only competition where I always win against him." Mei expressed before guffawing and receiving one of her husband's trademark reaction.

"Do not mind your godmother, Shikamaru. You can tell she didn't changed a bit." Ayumu said before he teasingly glanced at his wife with his last sentence.

Mei only managed to glare at her husband when she recalled the main reason why she stayed in the office and let her two daughters fix their house. "Oh, before we leave you be, you mentioned something about Uchiha Sasuke returning back here in Konoha, ne?"

Shikamaru knows where their conversation's heading. And as much as he hated it, he had known ever since that Kasumi's parents always had their eyes on the Uchiha clan's youngest heir and the only survivor of the Uchiha Massacre. Though till now, Sasuke's feelings towards his best friend and enemy, and former crush, is still a mystery to the Nara hokage. One thing he's sure of is Kasumi's feelings, for never did she fancied the said Uchiha, she even loathed him for some unspoken reasons. He just hope that feelings of her did not changed a bit. And he's not hoping because his feelings for her came back the moment he saw her by the gate earlier with her long, wavy golden brown hair flowing down to her elbows… So maybe it is possible that it's coming back. It is hard to kill a certain feeling you've been carrying since you were young.

"Yes, Uchiha Sasuke's here to stay for good. Though he still have a year left before we release the surveillance on him." He causally informed. His two visitors were pretty much delighted upon hearing his words, especially Mei - looks like a wonderful plan formed in her brain.

"You look like a busy man now. We'll visit you tomorrow." Mei said as she stood up, followed by her husband. The three exchange bows before the clan head and his wife left the room.

Shikamaru was relieved to be finally alone in his office. Being the hokage's still new to him and he's still not used to being treated like a respectable person. But he does enjoy being respected around. Plus his current position somewhat gives him the privilege to pass all his works to his subordinates, specifically the former rookie nine minus him.

He walked around his tale and relaxed on his chair with both feet on top of the table when the surroundings momentarily blurred. Several blinks after, Ayumu was once more, present on his room and is seated on the chair where he previously was.

"Man, The Kotaku clan's dojutsu is surely to be feared of." Shikamaru remarked as he placed both his feet on the ground.

"Why don't you come with me for a while? I have a good deal for you and you seem to be vacant." The clan head replied with a cheerful smile.

"Wouldn't your wife notice?" Shikamaru asked as he stood up to grab is hokage head piece.

"My daughters might, but their lips are always sealed." Ayumu replied as he follows the young Nara out of the room. "I'm lucky my wife does not possess the same eyes or else I'd be long dead."

"Yeah, it was a good thing though." Shikamaru replied as he now follow the clan head in the deep forest. He did not even noticed that both of them were almost sprinting till they arrived in their location, exposing none other than the clan head youngest daughter with her golden tiger.

"I'm pretty sure you still remember Kasumi?" Ayumu asked as he lightly bump the young Nara's shoulder.

"'tousan, why bring him here?" Kasumi asked as she finish braiding her golden brown locks.

"I guess you're not happy to see me again, Kasu-chan." The hokage teased as he leaned on one of the trees nearby.

The golden brunette glowered at him before rising from her sitting position. "Yes, I am in direly irritated by your presence right now you know, 'kamaru-kun." She countered while petting the head of her golden tiger. "So why bring him here, 'tousan?" She asked, eyes still lock on the Nara, but a reply was nowhere to be heard, and not a single sign of the clan head can be sensed.

"Seems familiar to you?" Shikamaru asked, pushing himself away from the tree before slowly approaching the golden brunette.

"Oh definitely." She replied with a smirk before stepping few steps forward towards the spiky brunet.

"No pets to the rescue."

"No manipulating shadows."

"No false scenery." He said as he stopped several meters away from her. Silence suddenly passed by between them.

"Just pure taijutsu." She said, initiating the sparring session under the afternoon sun.

* * *

"To be honest, I never expected you'd beat me easily." Shikamaru indirectly complemented as the two of them decided to rest by the lake nearby, feet dipped on the cool water.

"Me winning against you is a big achievement though, especially that you're a hokage now." Kasumi replied just before her older sister finally found them.

"Kasu-chi~!" the auburnette sweetly called to her imouto. "It's time to head home!"

And by her sister's voice, Kasumi sensed that her mother's up to something once more. Something related to none other than the loathsome person she knows.

"The more you hate to more you love, you know!" the auburnette sweetly cried once more, irking the golden brunet.

Kasumi grunted and sternly turned around to face her sister. "It's actually _the more you hate, I hate you, _'taru-neechan." She austerely replied before facing once more the vast lake where she mostly spent her childhood memories with her family and friends.

"I take back what I've said before." the golden brunette said to the Nara hokage before turning around again to reach for her sandals.

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked as he watches her stand after wearing her sandals.

"I was beyond happy to see you, 'kamaru-kun." She said before sprinting towards her sister.

Shikamaru turned around and watched the two Kotaku sisters walk away till their silhouettes disappeared. He lied down on the grass afterwards with both feet still dipped on the water, and both arms serving as his pillow, and smiled at the clouds as he thought of the next happening in the Kotaku residence – if their plans would go well or not. It would sure be hilarious to see them discover the real happenings behind the illusions they're creating.

* * *

"Otousan, Okasan, we're home!" Hotaru, the oldest daughter of the clan head, chirped as she drag along her dear imouto inside their humble home.

"We're here in the living area, come and join us!" the two heard their mother called. They glanced at each other for seconds before following their mother's voice. And to Kasumi's displeasure, Sasuke was also there, seated right across her parents, and now her sister. Leaving her no choice but to sit next to him.

Kasumi, without any selections to make, sat next to the set Uchiha with a reasonable distance. Ayumu observed his youngest daughter and the raven beside her, and all he could do is supress a laugh without his wife noticing. Hotaru just smiled and soon excused herself to go to her room so she could go somewhere far away to laugh as hard as she can. Mei couldn't be happier to see her youngest daughter seated next to her dream son-in-law. And Kasumi couldn't beg kami enough to make her disappear even just for a short time.

Kasumi does not hate Sasuke. But she doesn't like him either. It's been more than five years since she last saw him, yet even though she knows that a lot of things had happened within those years, she just couldn't remove Sasuke's sudden transformation from a cheerful child to a bastard asshole.

"Well, I've already discussed the places you wanted to visit here in Konoha to Sasuke." Mei uttered as she happily gaze at the two. "Now you two have fun, and no fucking behind my back."

"'kasan!" The golden brunette snapped in embarrassment before dragging the Uchiha heir out of their home, leaving her two laughing father and mother. One's laughing hilariously, and one's laughing maniacally respectively. Looks like the one who's laughing maniacally has not realized yet – things are still good for now.

"You know, you should have just ditched me. S'not like I wanted to go out with you either." Sasuke said flatly with a smirk plastered on his face. Not it was Kasumi's turn to laugh as they walk away from her house.

"And what, have myself killed? It was better this way, she didn't even noticed." She replied when they were at a safe distance from her residence.

"Hn, so you would rather take your chance on tricking your parents by trapping them in an illusion of _you_ being willing to go out with me, than show them the truth and end this shit? You're still the same as before, Kasumi."

"And I would take that as a complement, pretty-boy Uchiha." She teased before leading him to a book store.

"Hn, tell me. Am I crazily talking to myself right now or are you really here with me?" Sasuke asked as he grabbed her wrist just before she could enter the store.

Kasumi smirked without looking at him and shook her hands off his grip. "Let's just say it's better for you to remain quiet till we get home later and just follow where I go with a smirk slipping on your face from time to time." She answered as she entered the store.

"Hn, would I also be required to report to your parents how our date was like a _dream_ that became a _reality_?" He whispered as he walked closely by her inside.

"Nah, just be blunt and tell them you hated it and that you would never go out with me."

"Much better." Sasuke uttered as he went around to check the books on the other rack.

"Don't be cocky, 'kasan's still a former leaf shinobi. She could sense lies like an expert. Better not spill this little secret we're playing." She said as she hit the raven with a hard-bound book.

Sasuke winced, but nevertheless managed to still hide the throbbing pain in his skull. "Hn, in this game, you're the only player. Count me out on your pathetic games, I'm just going with the flow." He murmured as he side-stepped on a safe distance if ever the golden brunette would decide to hit his head once more with a book.

"Good." She said before going back to the rack she was previously looking at. "Looks like we'll have a wonderful friendship in the future, pretty-boy." She teasingly commented, making the raven smirk to himself – she did permitted him to slip a smirk on his face from time to time.

* * *

"You think they'll notice?" Shikamaru asked the golden brunette lying beside him, eyes still locked on the floating clouds.

"Sasuke, 'taru-neechan, and 'tosan might. But 'kasan wouldn't." Kasumi confidently replied while playing the tip of her braided locks, eyes also locked at the clouds.

"Funny, you're father's not that confident when he did that earlier in my office, unless you're the fake one." Shikamaru replied as he sat up and gaze down at her with one leg folded and arm rested on his knee.

"My eyes are blue, while the fake one has my eye color. Our dojutsu was not named _Hekigan_ for nothing." She replied before laughing at Shikamaru's reaction.

He then remembered the scene when her eyes turned blue just before she faced Hotaru earlier. He was somewhat amazed that her skill at using her eyes drastically increased since that day he last saw it five years ago. Her illusion is far more precise than her father for he was momentarily caught in her illusion as well when her eyes returned to its original grayish-turquoise color when her conversation with her older sister began. But in a blink or two, as the silhouettes of Hotaru and the fake Kasumi disappeared, he suddenly felt the golden brunette's presence beside him without his vision blurring like when her father did the same jutsu in his office earlier.

"So how would you know the illusion's still working?" He asked as his gaze shifted to the cloud's reflection in the clear water.

"Unlike the sharingan, once the opponent looks into the eyes of the hekigan user, the user's eyes will leave a mark to the opponent's, trapping them under the genjutsu wherever they go, seeing the things the opponents desires. Desires that the user can manipulate, like how your clan can manipulate shadows. The user can release the opponent under the genjutsu by cancelling it, or it would automatically end within the maximum time of twenty-four hours." She explained.

"Wow, that long?" Shikamaru asked in amazement as he gazed back at her.

"Yeah. Only 'taru-neechan managed to reach the maximum hour. Not being able to use the hakigan for days was her consequence though. As far as I could remember, my limit's four to twelve hours, depending on how I made eye contact with the opponent." She expounded before sitting up and stretching her hands upwards. "Sasuke's illusion will only last for four hours or less since it was the fake me who sealed the illusion to him. He better take me home before dinner or he has to make his own scenery according to what my 'kasan visualizes or we're both dead." She added before giggling to herself.

"Looks like you've place your life on the edge for this delusional date." Shikamaru teased as he smirked at her.

"Heh, it's all about taking chances." Countered as she smirked back at him. "Besides, I wouldn't bet my life on this if I know it wouldn't be successful." She continued as she looked at the sky's reflection on the water.

"You are confident with your doings, Kasumi. Aren't you even scared or troubled? There is a high chance your father and sister would see through your illusion."

"Like they care about what's going to happen between me and Sasuke." She said. "Besides, they never liked Sasuke for me. They're just pretending to or else 'kasan wouldn't stop convincing them that Sasuke's the right man for me. Marrying an Uchiha is too common for our clan since it's pretty much obvious that our blood is the most compatible one to breed a pure-blooded Uchiha." She reasoned as she smiled at him, in which Shikamaru returned equivalently.

"Will you tell your mother the truth afterwards?" Shikamaru asked curiously while gently kicking the water.

"Nah, I'd be dead after if I do that." She answered, making the two of them laugh. "But I according to the information I'm currently getting, the fake me already made a deal with pretty-boy Sasuke, so no worries for me."

"Except returning to your home without freaking out your mother, or getting caught, or both." Shikamaru teased.

"Must you remind that?" Kasumi almost whined as she glared at the spiky brunet beside her for seconds before shrugging off the thought. "I have a plan in mind though, let's just hope it would work."

"I'm the one being scared for you." He said as he smirked at her.

"Like what I've said earlier. I'm just taking my chances here… wherein my life's at stake." She said confidently before looking up at the clouds above them.

Shikamaru on the other hand, shifted his gaze on the reflection on the water, stealing glances at Kasumi's reflection from time to time while lost in his thoughts. A lot of things did happen for the past five years the two of them had been away from each other. There were a lot of improvements regarding their skills. Her in her dojutsu, and him becoming the sixth hokage. But one obvious improvement that he could feel is his growing feelings for her.

_Heh, when will the time come where I would take my chance in getting close to you? _He thought as he smiled to himself while lightly kicking the water.

"Heh, mendokuse…" He addressed to the golden brunette as a reply to her _outrageous _plan, and to himself as a typical expression whenever he feels like he just entered in to a troubled situation.

**_-End-_**

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**A/N: **So... how was it? Reviews are highly appreciated! Take care, folks! :)


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